Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

Yodoyama Castle, located in the central part of Inaba Chizu County, has been the residence of the Kusakari clan since the first year of the Reiyo era (1338), which is more than two hundred years ago.

Although Kusakari Hirotsugu had moved his castle to Mimasaka, the castle still had a strong symbolic status among the Kusakari clan.

The reason why Kusakari Hirotsugu was so powerful and refused to submit to Yamana Suketoyo or Yoshishige was not only because he was confident in his own strength, but also because he looked down on the Yamana main family and Wakasa Takeda.

A few days ago, Yamana Yutoyo sent an envoy to ask him to surrender as soon as possible and hand over the Chizu County territory that was annexed during the reign of Yamana Masamune. Kusakari Hengtsugu was very disdainful of this and directly sent a retainer to send him away.

In the subsequent assessment, he said bluntly: "My Kusakari clan has been rooted in Inaba since the Nanboku-cho period, and it has been more than two hundred years. During this period, we have defeated Yamana (Inaba) and Urakami, and not long ago we resisted the attack of the Amago family, and fought hard to keep the territory in Inaba and Mimasaka.

Although Yamana Jinwu is the head of the Yamana family, he has no connection with the main family. Now he just sends an envoy to ask me to hand over most of Zhitou County. Isn't this just a foolish dream?
As for the Takeda clan in Wakasa, it was even more ridiculous. They came all the way from Wakasa to Inaba and told me to withdraw my troops from Hatto County without saying anything. Did they really think that the Kusakari clan could be controlled so easily?
I have made up my mind. No matter what, I must let these foreign guys have a good taste of the power of us Inaba people!"

But Kusakari Kōtsugu was not stupid. Although he spoke tough, he did not dare to be negligent in the face of the Takeda and Yamana coalition forces that were also mobilized in full force. Considering the current situation, after driving away Yamana Yoshitoyo's envoy, he immediately sent an envoy to Tsukiyama Tomita Castle to invite Amago Akihisa to send troops from Hoki. The two armies formed a pincer attack and took advantage of the coalition forces' unstable foothold to drive them out of Inaba in one fell swoop.

But at this time the Amago family had no time to look east. Amago Akihisa had just escaped back to Izumo not long ago. What followed was the betrayal of the Aki people who had originally defected to the Amago side, such as Yoshikawa Okishige and Mitoya Hisafu, who all joined the Ouchi camp.

It can be said that this defeat not only greatly consumed the strength of the Amago clan, but also broke the backbone of Amago Akihisa, causing him to hide in Tsukiyama Tomita Castle for a long time, nervously guarding against counterattacks from Ouchi Yoshitaka and Mori Motonari.

Therefore, not to mention the envoy sent by Kusakari Hirotsugu, even if Yamana Masimichi himself came in person, Amago Akihisa did not agree to his request to send troops to Inaba.

Instead, it was the sick Amago Nobunaga who suggested to Amago Akihisa that he send someone to Kamego Castle to meet with Yoshishige and Yamana Suketoyo, in the hope that the three families could reach peace as soon as possible, thereby minimizing the possibility of border conflict between Hoki and Harima. Then, the troops from Hoki, Mimasaka, Bizen, Harima and other places could be transferred back to defend Izumo to deal with the attack that Ouchi Yoshitaka might launch at any time.

Although he hated the Wakasa Takeda clan's betrayal, facing the Ouchi clan's aggressiveness, Akihisa had no other choice. In addition, the cause of this incident was that Yamana Makoto took the lead in tearing up the contract and attacking Yafu County. After thinking it over, he followed Akihisa's advice and sent Kamei Hidatsuna to Inaba to meet Yoshishige.

Yoshishige was not very surprised by Kamei Hidatsuna's arrival. After all, the current geopolitical situation of the Amago clan was more dangerous than in history. Not only was there Ouchi in the west and Mori in the south, but now there was also Takeda in the east. None of them was easy to mess with. It was indeed necessary to change the external environment as soon as possible to avoid the fate of being united and divided.

Compared with Ouchi and Mori, the Amago clan and the Wakasa Takeda clan had the least conflicts. Although Yoshishige took advantage of the situation and sent troops to Inaba, he did not have the ability to attack the Amago clan. Secondly, the Inaba Yamana clan was at fault in the first place, and Yoshishige was only invited to send troops, which was reasonable.

Therefore, relatively speaking, the two families still maintained superficial harmony, which provided a basis for negotiations, and Kamei Hidetsuna's mission was naturally expected.

Due to time constraints, both sides had a frank discussion as soon as they met in Guihou City.

According to Akihisa Amago, the Inaba expedition by the Takeda and Yamana coalition was certainly caused by Yamana Masimichi's breach of contract, but it was really too much to destroy the Inaba Yamana family for this reason. Moreover, a few people such as Kusakari Tsunetsugu also hoped to live in harmony with Takeda and Yamana and share Inaba.

Therefore, Akihisa Amago suggested that both sides make concessions, the allied forces retreat to the east of the Chiyogawa River, return Tenjinyama Castle to Yamana Makoto, and Kusakari Hirotsugu return a certain number of villages to the Takeda and Yamana families in exchange for peace.

The Amago clan was also willing to act as a guarantor to ensure that Yamana Makotochi and Kusakari Kōtsugu would no longer covet other territories of Inaba. At the same time, Amago Akihisa hoped to sign an oath with the Takeda clan to achieve peace.

In response to Akihisa Amago's suggestion, Yoshishige smiled dumbly and said, "Noto no Kami, after hearing what you said, I thought it was our family and Yamana Kingo who were defeated by your Amago family and Yamana Samasuke."

Kamei Hidatsune heard that Yoshishige was not buying into Akihisa Niwa's suggestion, so he responded sincerely: "I am here on orders to discuss with your highnesses how to resolve the current dispute. You two are welcome to speak up if you have any ideas."

Hearing this, Yoshishige and Yamana Yufeng looked at each other for a moment. After receiving a slight nod from the other party, Yoshishige took the lead and said, "In that case, I will get straight to the point."

"Your Highness, please speak." Kamei Hidatsuna bowed.

"First of all, regarding the ownership of Inaba, I think there is nothing to discuss. Since Yamana Samasuke has torn up the contract, he must be responsible for the consequences. He can forget about getting any city in the eight counties of Inaba." Yoshishige informed Kamei Hidatsuna in a firm tone that did not allow for negotiation.

"Your Highness, you..."

Kamei Hidetsuna didn't expect that Yoshishige would give him such a big problem right away. He didn't know how to deal with it for a moment and could only stammer, "Wuweidian, if you say that, I won't be able to explain it when I go back!"

"If you can't make the decision, go back and ask His Highness Quanjiu. There's no need to waste your breath talking to me here." Yoshishige responded bluntly.

"Even if my lord agrees to this, Samasuke will not agree." Kamei Hidatsuna said with an embarrassed look.

"Samasuke? Haha, everyone knows that he is just a puppet supported by your Amago family. As long as Lord Akihisa nods, how can he refuse?" Yamana Yufeng, who was sitting next to him, relied on Yoshishige's support and mocked Yamana Masimichi without any hesitation.

"This..." Kamei Hidatsuna was speechless after being choked by the two men. He could only continue to speak sadly: "Wu Weidian, you just said 'first', may I ask if there are any other conditions next? I will bring them back and ask the lord to decide."

"I am willing to accept the peace agreement with you, but before that, you must ensure that the conditions I just proposed and the ones I will talk about next are implemented without any compromise." Yizhong replied solemnly.

"Please speak, Your Highness." Kamei Hidatsuna responded helplessly.

"Although I don't know what the current relationship between you and the Kusakari family is, since you are proposing peace terms to the main family on behalf of the Kusakari family, I am willing to convey the main family's response to them through you."

Seeing that Kamei Hidatsuna did not refuse, Yoshishige continued:
"Since Kusakari Kaga-no-kami (Kusakari Hirotsugu) has so far refused to submit to the main family and the Yamana (Mong) family, and has continued to attack many villages and castles in Chito and Hatto counties even after receiving warnings, I have discussed with Kinggo-dono and believe that peace can only be achieved if Kaga-no-kami agrees to the following three points.

First, within seven days, the Inaba territory, including Yodoyama Castle, will be handed over to the main family and the Yamana (main) family.

Second, Kaga no Kami went to Kamego Castle in person to express his submission to the main family. Third, he sent his eldest son to the main family as a hostage.

As long as these three points can be achieved, Kinggo-den and I are willing to use Inaba as the boundary between us and him, and we will not interfere with each other."

After hearing what Yoshishige said, Kamei Hidatsuna felt his scalp tingling. He simply couldn't believe that Yoshishige would ask for such a high price and put forward such a condition that sounded "fantastic".

"Kingwu Palace, do you think so too?" Seeing that Yamana Yufeng had not expressed his opinion, Kamei Hidetsuna tried to get a breakthrough from him.

Unexpectedly, Yamana Youfeng did not give him a chance, but said naturally: "Wu Weidian's meaning is my meaning. I gave Kaga Mamoru a chance some time ago, but he did not cherish it. Don't blame me for being ruthless now."

Of course, Kamei Hidatsuna didn't know that Chito County was the territory reserved for Yamana Yutoyo, and he would not tolerate the existence of Kusakari Hirotsugu as a thorn.

Since he had hit a wall with Yamana Yufeng, Kamei Hidatsuna had no other choice but to say to Yoshishige, "Buei-dono, you have to know that the Kusakari family has been operating in Inaba and Mimasaka for hundreds of years. You have just arrived and asked them to give up their ancestral home. Not to mention Kaga-no-kami, even from the perspective of a bystander like an outsider, it is impossible for you to ask them to give up their ancestral home."

"Noto no Kami, if I remember correctly, when His Highness Akihisa led his troops to Kyoto a few years ago, he suffered a loss at the hands of the Kusakari clan in Mimasaka? How come it's only been a short time, but the relationship between the two families has become so close? They can even let your side come forward to plead for him?" Yoshishige asked with a meaningful smile.

"No, that's not the case. His Highness Akira also believes in peace and harmony. We shouldn't let the harmony be damaged due to a momentary misunderstanding." Kamei Hidatsuna hurriedly distanced himself from the matter.

In fact, Yoshishige knew clearly that the Amago clan hoped to use Kusakari Hirotsugu to contain the Wakasa Takeda clan, which was why they were willing to negotiate with him on his behalf.

But Yoshishige was no pushover. He would not tolerate a "thorn" like Kusakari staying in Inaba. In order to establish his own prestige and consolidate his rule in Inaba, he needed to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey" and let the people of Inaba and even the surrounding Tajima, Mimasaka and Hoki provinces see clearly that he would not tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes and should not underestimate him just because the Wakasa Takeda clan had just arrived.

"In that case, please ask Noto no Kami to tell Kaga no Kami for me," Yoshishige said to himself, ignoring Kamei Hidatsuna's aggrieved and ugly face.

"From now on, I will give him three days. Within three days, he must either bring his legitimate son to Guihou City to surrender to me, or I will send troops to Dianshan City to pick him up. By then, I will want more than just Zhitou and Badong counties."

"Wu Wei-den, please allow me to say one more thing. The Kusakari clan is a powerful clan with influence spanning the two states of Insaku and Insaku, and a total of 60,000 people. It is not a wise choice for you to confront them head-on."

Kamei Hidatsuna still hoped that Yoshishige would think twice before acting and leave himself some room for maneuver, otherwise this trip to Inaba would be in vain.

"Thank you for the advice, Lord Noto," Yoshishige first expressed his gratitude to Kamei Hidatsuna for his kind reminder, but then he changed the subject and said firmly:

"Unfortunately, I like to face challenges head-on. It is precisely because of conquering strong cities and defeating powerful enemies time and time again that I have grown from a single city in Wakasa Kasumi to the current size. In your opinion, how does the Kusakari clan compare to the Asakura, Isshiki, and Yamana?"

"Since Your Highness has made up his mind, there is nothing more for me as an outsider to say." Seeing this, Kamei Hidatsuna knew that it was useless to say more, so he slowly stood up and bowed to say goodbye to Yoshishige and Yamana Yutoyo.

"I will convey your wishes to the lord and Kaga no Kami." Before leaving, Kamei Hidatsuna gave the two of them a final greeting.

"Thank you, sir." Yoshishige bowed and said, "Especially to Kaga no Kami, please help me pass on a message - I have ordered my brother to lead the troops into Chizu County, and they will arrive at Yodoyama Castle in a few days. Please ask him to make a decision as soon as possible."

"This..." Kamei Hidatsuna couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head after hearing this. "Your Highness is so young, yet he is so resolute and tough. I really don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing."

"A time of great chaos is also a time of great strife. The more indecisive and hesitant you are, the harder it will be to survive. This is the truth I have learned in the past few years," Yi Zhong responded.

"Then, Your Highness, have you ever heard of 'Those who are too rigid are easily broken, while those who are gentle are invincible'? Sometimes, there is no harm in making appropriate compromises." Seeing that Yoshishige had made up his mind, Kamei Hidatsuna said no more after saying this, and left the palace as Yoshishige watched him go.

Looking at his back gradually walking away, Yizhong was also thinking about the profound meaning of the saying "Those who are too hard are easily broken, while those who are gentle are invincible."

"Jinwu Palace, do you think I was so tough just now?" Yizhong asked Yamana Youfeng who was standing beside him. The latter did not express his opinion directly, but responded tactfully:

“In times of great turmoil, one must resort to drastic measures, and in times of great contention, only then can the world be changed.

The Yamana clan has long lost its qualifications to compete for supremacy in the world since it was passed down to me. But Your Highness is different. Although I have only known you for a short time, I see the talent of a hero and the spirit of a king in you. I believe that with your ability, you will definitely create a paradise in this chaotic world!"

"The Pure Land?"

Yizhong couldn't help but smile, this word reminded him of the popular song, but he knew that here it was a Buddhist term, referring to "the Pure Land manifested by Amitabha Buddha", which is extended to the place of blessings for all sentient beings and an ideal state.

"Jinwu Palace, do you really think so?" Yi Zhong asked back.

Yamana Youfeng nodded vigorously and answered sincerely: "No matter what others think, I believe that you must be the one who can bring peace to this chaotic world."

"I hope so," Yizhong was relieved after hearing this, "I hope that in my lifetime, I can bring peace and prosperity to the people of this world!"

On the 26th day of the first lunar month, Kamei Hidatsuna, who had finished his trip to Kamego Castle, went south to Yodoyama Castle and was warmly received by Kusakari Takatsugu.

"Noto no Kami, what's the response from the Muei-den?" As soon as he sat down, Kusakari Hirotsugu asked anxiously, because just a day ago, the Takeda army led by Yamagata Morinobu had captured Yoho Castle in the west of Chizu County and killed more than a hundred Kusakari defenders. (End of this chapter)